Guatemalan community activist assaulted in New Bedford's South End

A local Guatemalan community activist was assaulted in broad daylight Tuesday while walking in the South End.

BRIAN FRAGA

NEW BEDFORD — A local Guatemalan community activist was assaulted in broad daylight Tuesday while walking in the South End.

Adrian Ventura, director of the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores or Workers Community Center, said two men wearing ski masks approached him from behind on Blackmer Street and punched him in the back of the head just before 12:30 p.m.

Ventura said one of the assailants told the other "Kill him" but they ran off without taking his money or cellphone. He described both assailants, neither of whom was armed, as black men in their 20s.

"I'm having a lot of pain in my head," Ventura said Wednesday, adding that his doctor recommended he have X-rays taken.

In the past several weeks, packs of youths have periodically assaulted people in the South End, usually at night, police said.

Last week, two men were assaulted on Rivet Street. One victim said two men approached him, punched him in the face and doused him with pepper spray, according to police reports.

On Jan. 13, around 9:52 p.m., a 43-year-old Guatemalan was riding his bicycle home from work when two young men threw rocks at him in the area of 418 South First St. The assailants took off with the victim's bicycle, police said.

New Bedford police Detective Capt. Steven Vicente said the assailants have targeted random victims of various ethnic backgrounds, including Cape Verdean, Caucasian and Hispanic individuals.

"In my opinion, anyone walking through those neighborhoods at night is susceptible to being assaulted," said Vicente, who added that detectives have "some suspects in mind."